Mirror wins top award at KPA convention

The Mirror received the Sweepstakes Award for its division at the Kansas Press Association convention April 30 in Junction City. Pictured, from left, are Patrick Lowry, KPA president and editor and publisher of the Hays Daily News, Mirror news editor Shawn Linenberger and Mirror director of sales Tamara Hand.

The Mirror was named the top newspaper in Kansas for its division at an awards ceremony recently.

The Tonganoxie newspaper won the Sweepstakes Award during the Awards of Excellence reception April 30 as part of the annual Kansas Press Association convention.

The Mirror won the award in non-daily division I, for newspapers with circulations up to 1,750, at the convention, which took place at the Courtyard by Marriott in Junction City.

Newspapers submit entries in an array of categories, from feature writing and photography to layout and design and websites.

In total, the newspaper won 25 awards, 10 of which were first-place winners. The Mirror also earned second- and third-place awards in other categories.

Mirror sports editor Benton Smith won first place in the sports feature writing category (for a story about a THS student mentoring a TES student) and sports pages categories, while reporter Elvyn Jones had first-place winning entries in agricultural story (a story about a longstanding barn that would need to be razed along County Road 5), news photo, youth story (McLouth’s Trevor Roberts coming home from hospital in time for MHS homecoming) and headline writing. And news editor Shawn Linenberger earned first-place awards in the religion story (Rev. Francis Stockton dressing as Elvis Presley) and news story (funeral of THS graduate Connor Olson) categories.

Former reporter Estuardo Garcia’s work in the local business story (Tonganoxie’s new turnpike interchange) and feature package categories also were top winners.

Earlier during the convention, on April 29, former Mirror editor and publisher Caroline Trowbridge was named the recipient of the Gaston Outstanding Mentor Award.

Journalists from other press associations — this year it was the Indiana Press Association — judge Kansas journalists’ works in advance of the convention for the Awards of Excellence.